Carlin The Red
by Knights-Light
Summary: Can a young man without dreams find a purpose to live for when everything he holds dear turns to ash? (takes place 30 years aftr second downwall of SL)
1. Chapter 1 His Name Is Carlin Ol'Orin

Authors note: I don't own any right to FFXI but seeing as I have no intention of selling this story I don't think it really matters, seriously I just… AHEM n e way I own nothing related to FFXI, all characters presented in this story are of mine own devising unless otherwise noted by use of the sign.

Chapter 1: His name is Carlin Ol'orin

Today was a day just like any other, dull, and boring. Life on this island is so utterly dull. My Grand pa likes to lecture me with tales of how this land once faced eminent disaster at the hands of some being called the Shadow Lord… blah blah blah, World nearly destroyed… Nations banded to gather blah blah blah… Why does any of this matter any more? The Beastmen where defeated, everything is ordinary again, why should I care about something that happened so long ago? Oh sorry, I haven't told you my name yet have I? Its…

"Carlin…."

My name is…

"Carliiiiin…"

its…

"CARLIN VELTO OLORIN GET YOUR LAZY BUTT OVER HERE RIGHT NOW AND HELP ME WITH THE RAFT!!"

Ugh. Yes, my name is Carlin Velto Ol'orin for my entire seventeen years of existence, I have lived on this dull, boring, eventless island. Gramps is fond of telling me that I should consider myself fortunate to live in a place so far removed from the great nations(even though, as I always remind him, we are technically Bastokers seeing as we're in their sphere of influence).

"AGH comin Gramps," I grumpily leapt down of the branch I had been daydreaming on and headed over to where my grandpa and older sister where busily working on a new raft.

"I swear to Altana boy, if your parents where alive…" Again with that, gramps was always reminding me of how I was nothing like my parents, both legends in their own right; they had played a major part in the downfall of the Shadow Lord all those years ago, so I'm told- over and over and over….

When gramps finally shut his big yap my sister was quick to pick up the slack in between grunts of strain as she tightened various ropes on the dinky craft they called a raft. "Carlin-rgh- what kinda man are you-nyah-makin an old man and a young lady do this kinda work? I'd rather be slaving over a hot pot then tying ropes. This is YOUR job I'm doing." Blah blah blah, see what I mean?

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, go on and fly a kite little miss dainty flower, I'll handle the rest." MY sister gave me a pouty face as usual but said nothing as she got up and went off to do whatever it is that girls do. I knelt down and grabbed some rope to bind together. Apparently regaining his vigor, my grandpa took the opportunity to start laying into me again. "Your father, a Paladin of the highest caliber, your mother, A White Mage of great reverence, your sister is so dedicated to her studies, while YOU on the other hand, are apt to laze about at any given opportunity, and give up on just about every subject you delve into the moment it seems like it might get just a little bit tough.

"Geez grandpa, you make it sound like there's some big pay off waiting if I waste my life away laboring toward some goal…" I grabbed the pole that would serve to hold the sail and put it in its place in the center of the raft.

"Boy, I Ain't gonna be around forever, your sister can take care of herself just fine but at the rate your going you'll never amount to anything."

"I don't WANT to amount to anything, how many times do I have to tell you that, I already have all the skills I need to able to sustain myself for the rest of my life, what else do you want from me?"

Gramps shook his head ruefully. "Thank Altana you're parents are no longer of this world to hear such talk. You delved into white magic, gave that up almost immediately, tried yourself as a warrior, gave that up after your first tussle with a crab, and even dabbled into the black arts, and you even gave up that!" my grandpa gave one final yank of the cords he was tying and patted his hands, satisfied with his work, as if this dinky raft was some great doing. I busied myself with tying the mast down to the raft base. I took this time to try once more to convince my grandpa to see things my way.

"Look grandpa, I just don't see a point in me going off and achieving some enormous success, why do that when I'm perfectly well off with what I can do right here on this island?"

My grandpa, a black mage himself, stood up stretched himself, and looked down at me. "I always thought that your opinion of this island would spur you to newer and newer heights to get off it. I suppose it was my mistake, our family isn't immune to turning out dull-borns every now and then." Now, see, usually I'm not an overly emotional kind of guy, sure I might get a little angry, find a bit of pleasure in something or other, but usually I'm pretty mellow. That's why what happened next surprised myself, I think, more so even then my grandpa.

I slammed my fist down on the raft, (sturdy as it was not even a splinter emerged) and stood up. "I'M SICK OF THIS!!" I had completely lost it, my sensibilities flooded out in a sea of red rage. "WHY THE HELL DO I ALWAYS HAVE TO BE LECTURED!? I DIDN'T ASK TO BE BORN INTO THIS FAMILY- ALL I WANT IS TO LIVE IN PEACE, WHY SHOULD I PUT MYSELF THROUGH HELL FOR PEOPLE I DON'T KNOW WHYS HOULD I GO DO GLORIOUS THINGS WHEN I CAN LIVE A LIFE OF EASE RIGHT HERE!?" Grandpa stared at me, as did my sister, who had rushed to the doorway of the little hut that we called home. Both were speechless, in a sudden moment the rage I felt was gone, but a spiteful; aftertaste remained. I turned away from them. "I-I'm… forget it…" I wanted to say I was sorry but I was so filled with spite I couldn't even part my lips. I just walked away, climbed up into my favorite spot on my favorite tree, and sat there, grandpa and sis said nothing, or if they did I didn't hear it, grandpa put his arm around my sisters shoulder (was she sobbing?) and the two of them went back inside, finally leaving me alone. As I sat there on the branch, full of spiteful, short-lived sentiments. I somehow managed to drift into a fitful sleep.

It was only much later, during nightfall that I was awakened by a soft voice whispering. "Carlin?" My sister calling to me, strange thing, I have a reputation for being able to sleep through a hurricane(one hit just recently as I'm told) but when I hea my sisters voice, I have no trouble at all with waking up. I looked down to see her standing at the foot of the tree, she had a look on her face that suggested she feared I might jump down and bite her head off. Guess she was still shocked by my outburst earlier, me however, I had already gotten over it. Like I said, I don't get emotional and I certainly don't dwell, it's a stupid way to pass time.

"What?" I asked her sleepily. Not really wanting to be awake right at the moment. "I uhm.. well… aren't you hungry?" I cocked an eye at her. "You're asking me that at this time of night?" She shook her head.

"Well, no that's not really why II came out here but…" She appeared to be struggling for words, things like that usually irritate me, but I was used to it from my sister. I decided to head her off. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened before alright? You know I usually don't get crazy like that." She nodded.

"I know, that's why I was concerned. Are you feeling well?" Geez what a worry-wort, her and grandpa both. "I'm FINE ok? Go back to sleep you have lessons tomorrow." She sighed as though exasperated. "Alright… are you sure your not hungry?" I gave her a tired look. "Yes I'm sure." In that instant, I found that my stomach chose just that opportunity to betray me with a loud rumbling.

GROOOWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRR

My sister smiled. "I'll go fix you something." She walked off back toward the hut. I closed my eyes and prepared to drift back into slumber once again. I guess it was just when I was about to go under that it happened. It began with a shriek piercing the frigid yet humid night air and suddenly there was a blast of heat from all around as fire erupted seemingly from nowhere, setting the plant life ablaze. I jumped down from my tree just in time to see it go up as well. I ran toward the hut instinctively sure of my intention even without my consciousness' awareness.

When I got within sight of the hut I saw three figures in night-black cloaks standing there, one was exceptionally tall with pointy ears and dark skin, an Elvaan(I think). The other was a Hume like me… or was he Elvaan? He seemed to be both at the same time. He had light-green hair and gray eyes. In his hands was what I recognized to be a high quality rifle; I believe it was a Serpentine Gun model. The last was what looked like a brown-furred cat-woman, she had pink-white hair and red eyes, or rather, one red eye- the other had a patch over it.

The one with the gun had my sister over his shoulder. The three appeared to be chatting amongst themselves. I could just make out my grandpa, slumped before them; breathing heavily, a bad thing to be doing in this intense flame. I found myself unable to move even with the flames encroaching on my position. I pulled out my Bronze dagger and charged toward them, there was no way I would let these freaks, whoever the hell they where, do anything to my family.

The dark skinned one turned and saw me, smiling a calm sinister grin as I charged at him first, having assumed him to be the leader. He silently lifted his staff and pointed it at me. " Thundera…" I don't know what happened next, all I know is I felt a sudden shock and then I fell to the ground. With both my grandpa and my sister in their possession. I had just enough left in me to watch them walk off into the flames before my world became infinite black.

OOC: you like? dislie? Reviews appreciated, no flames please


	2. Chapter 2 So It Begins

Chapter 2: So it Begins  
  
"Wakey wakey...." A voice from the beyond, calling out to me. "C'mon, don't tell me I was too late..." the ethereal voice spoke again coming from all around. There was another sound too, crackling... like a fire...and a feeling... like a cool breezed mixed with heat "Shoot, don't tell me I went and wasted time cooking two portions like this for nothing." The voice again spoke, why was Altana's messenger talking so, odd? A sharp sensation on my... cheek? Suddenly, I saw a horizontal sliver of light forming in front of me, slowly, it grew wider, and brighter, and wider, and then.  
"Good of you to finally rejoin the living." Right above me a figure... male... Hume - with silver hair and golden eyes... Wait a minute...what? "Hey what's with you? I got something nasty on my face?" What the hell? Was I dead or what?  
"Hey didn't anybody ever teach you its not nice to stare?" teach...lessons. Grandpa! SIS! Is sat bolt upright, which unfortunately resulted in my clonking y head hard against the head of the guy looking down at me. He fell back and put a hand to his head while used both of mine to rub my aching skull. Well that clinched it, the pain was there, but it wasn't horrible, though it felt like it, not heaven, but not hell either.  
The silver haired guy laughed as he brought his hand down from his head. "Hehehe, Am I-ha - am I that scary? Heheha..." I didn't see what was so amusing- I looked around. I was wrapped in a blanket near a small fire which had clearly been much bigger not so long ago on the other side of the fire was a sleeping bag. I looked all round, we were near a cave. Most of the area around was barren. Off in the distance, I saw big hulking creatures hefting mining equipment along with smaller Humes. My sister, my grandfather- were where they? I looked at the guy with silver hair. A million questions ran through my mind at that moment. Where was I, what happened to ramps, what about my sister, who was this guy... and most importantly, what the hell was with these deck-of-cards like clothing that were laying next to me? Red and black were their predominant colors, along with a hat... what the hell was going on.  
"Hey where are gramps and my sister?" I asked with urgency." The silver haired guy looked over at me. "Eh? I only found you buddy, wasn't a single other soul on that island but you. Damn strange too, everything was burnt to a crisp. Guess mebee all those layers of soot that acculated on you kit you safe from the worst of the fire, still, pretty weird hat you actually managed to survive." It was then that I noticed what the guy was wearing, and it struck me odd that one such as him would say such a thing. "You're a...paladin aren't you? Then why do you refer to my survival as if it were luck?"  
He looked up. "Heh, yeah I get that a lot, I'm something of a black sheep among the Holies. Not to many of my brethren are fond of me, they say I have a tendency to second guess the gospel or whatever that means."  
"My sister and grandpa-were gone?" A hollow felling suddenly welled up inside me it felt at once like a shocking chill and a flash of burn. My mind began reeling at the implications. "What about our home? The trees the other people from town? (I say town but it was little more then collections of shacks lined up together where people both lived and did their business. The island isn't that big after all.) Surely, SURELY there was something else someone else...  
"Like I told ya buddy, not a single solitary soul, no grass no trees no animals no people, just you and soot and sand." The hollow sensation in me grew considerably; this simply COULD NOT be real. "No, that's not possible. I WON'T ACCEPT IT!!" The silver haired guy gave me a surprised look. Impulsively I grabbed the cloth that had been set aside for me, now my only possessions, and I ran, ran as for as I could from that disgusting liar with his stupid aimless attitude.  
Without intending to, I found myself at the entry-gates to Bastok. Two large Galka guards looked at me with a look of supreme dislike (I had run past them and slammed into the gate that lead into Bastok.) "Proof of Citizenship?" one said curtly. I looked at him dumbfound, I then remembered the clothing that I had in my hands, I decided to search the pockets, not knowing what I intended to produce; Altana must have been smiling on me though, because my hand found a small object in one of the side pockets, a ring, not just any ring, a Signet Ring with the symbol of Bastok emblazoned upon it. I showed it to the guards who inspected it suspiciously, then, grudgingly, they opened the gates and allowed me into Bastok.  
By Altana what a sight, machines everywhere, people of various colors sizes and races, I found it difficult to take it all in. I walked around aimlessly for awhile, not knowing what I meant to do, but noticing that many of the oddly clothed people giving me suspicious and curious looks, I noticed that a few of the people here were dressed in clothes similar to my own. I decided that the first thing I would do was get changed out of my own clothes (which I only now realized were charred and covered in soot.) and don the clothes that had been given to me, it displeased me to think I owed thanks to that Paladin, though my mind was slowly beginning to wrap itself around the idea that I no longer had a home to go back to.  
I found an Inn where the keeper was gracious enough to permit me the usage of the bathroom in order to change without having to pay. I relievedly went in and removed the clothes which I had grown accustomed to wearing for so long, and piece by piece, I slipped on the pants, shirt, boots, gloves and hat, As I finished dressing I picked up my old clothes, which were too burnt and sooted to do me good anymore anyway- and threw them in the trash. As I was about to leave the bathroom I happened to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I turned and walked toward it. It was a strange feeling, somehow I knew that this was not simply a different look, these clothes indicated who I was, just as they did for all those people I saw out there. I was no longer simply Carlin Ol'orin resident of the isle. I was now Carlin Ol'orin, -The Red Mage. 


End file.
